


you got a fast car (is it fast enough so we can fly away);

by hizzie



Category: Descendants (2015), Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: And also Homophobia, F/F, audrey needs a hug, completely inspired by Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, evie needs a hug, mentions of Harry Uma Gil and Ursula, they got sucky parents, tw for internalized homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 22:24:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20664785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hizzie/pseuds/hizzie
Summary: Evie's seen many things while working the night shift at Ursula's diner. A clearly emotional girl with a long pink gown was new.





	you got a fast car (is it fast enough so we can fly away);

**Author's Note:**

> hi hello! here's another audrevie story for you guys. 
> 
> this one is completely based on the song Fast Car by Tracy Chapman and a late night conversation about how this song can be applied to Audrey and Evie. i've been writing this story for a few days, at doctor's waiting rooms, in restaurants, in my room, at the mall, etc. it's taken me a while to put it all together and maybe, hopefully i've managed it. writing for this pairing has become one of my favorite things to do and i had fun writing this one.
> 
> i hope you guys like it!

The sound of a soft 90s track plays across the empty diner, serving as background noise alongside the coffee machine and the ticking of the clock as the night hours pass by slowly but surely. She doesn’t mind the night shift; usually, the customers are few and far in between and they sometimes - most of the time - serve as good entertainment or a good story to tell her friends later. Granted, sometimes they would be disgusting truck drivers or your average creeps that she really, really hated to interact with. 

The brunette girl twirls a lock of hair with her pointer finger as she chews on her gum, her brown eyes watching the street across from the diner with a distracted mind, as her mind usually was during these shifts. 

The coffee machine behind her stops making noise, and as Evie turns around to grab herself a mug, the soft rock track from a prior century transits into another and Evie hums quietly to herself as she adds just the right amount of sweetener drops to her hot drink. Her humming, however, is interrupted by the sound of the bell above the heavy doors of the establishment ringing as the tell sign of someone entering the diner. Evie brings her mug to her lips and blows softly on it for a second before she turns, leaning her back softly on the counter behind her and raising her eyebrows in surprise at the sight before her. 

That was, in some aspects, a new one. 

The girl before her has on a beautiful pink gown that follows the girl’s body length until it touches the floor, and the fabric that’s nearest to the floor looks dirty and ragged, which tells Evie that the girl before her must have walked a long way here, if the way she’s panting and her makeup is running and her hair is disheveled aren’t telltale signs enough. The girl’s eyes are puffy and red, and on her tanned cheeks are streaks of dried tears, running mascara and maybe sweat from the walking she might’ve done. She also looks very pale, paler than she could assume the girl normally was, and Evie wondered for a moment if the girl had had anything to eat in the last two days. The thought brought back a personal memory, and with it a tinge of familiar concern for the stranger.

Evie studies the girl in silence as the brunette in front of her studies the diner with detached eyes and her hands balled in fists, holding the fabric of her gown as if scared that if she didn’t hold on to it, it would simply disappear. 

“Can I help you?” Evie greets eventually, following with a small clear of her throat, taking her hand to her throat and trying to heat her vocal cords naturally, as she hadn’t really spoken up in the last few hours and the lack of use of them left them uncared for. It was very common for Evie to get throat aches during these night shifts -- which she thinks is funny. The lack of using her voice seems to be more damaging to her than to most. A miracle of science, she likes to think.

The other girl snaps her head towards Evie and blinks twice, as if trying to regain her sight for a moment. She moves slowly towards the counter, her movements sluggish and concerningly weak, and Evie frowns minimally as the girl licks her lips and sighs, her voice sounding tired and something else, something darker, deeper, “Where am I, exactly?”

Evie looks around her for a second and says, “At a diner?” 

The other girl makes an impatient face and shakes her head, seemingly using up a lot of her energy to do so, “I mean, what town is this?”

“Um, this is the beginning of Hadestown. We used to have a sign, but I’m not sure what happened to it.” Evie tells her, punctuating her sentence with a sip of her coffee. The girl in front of her seems to process that information for a moment before she nods. 

“How… how far are we from Auradon?” She asks, her voice breaking a little at the sound of the town’s name. Evie raises one eyebrow.

“Uh… far enough, I guess,” Evie tells her. She’d never been to Auradon. She knew what people said about it though; a town filled with high society people and fancy stores and restaurants. The only reason she even knew that was because sometimes one or two customers would tell her that they’re traveling from somewhere to Auradon for an important job or whatever. But no one from Auradon itself had ever crossed through those doors, not that she’s aware of, at least.

“Okay,” the girl mutters to herself, and Evie takes the moment that the other girl gives her to study her closely. Her eyes have dark circles under them, telling Evie that the girl might not have had a good night’s rest in maybe weeks. The girl’s pink gown looks extremely expensive upon closer look, and Evie wonders if the girl had escaped a big event. And the thought worries her a little more. 

“Are you alright?” Evie asks, her voice concerned. That’s not a question strange to her lips; she asks that same thing at least twice every week to different people. The concern in her tone, however, may be a little unfamiliar. Evie tries not to worry too much about the people that wander into the diner — after all, she would drive herself mad in concern if she did so.

“Huh?” The girl asks, as if Evie had broken her from her thoughts. The way her eyes take maybe a beat too long to focus on Evie solidifies the girl’s concern for the stranger. 

“I asked if you’re alright,” Evie repeats, tone not unkind, “Do you need anything?”

“I - um, can I use your bathroom?” She answers with the question, her dark eyebrows meeting each other at the center of her forehead.

In her mind, Ursula’s voice telling her that the bathroom is for customers only rings like a mantra, but Evie cannot bring herself to repeat the words out loud. Instead, she nods and points towards the far left of them. “It’s over there.”

The girl gives her the smallest smile and nods gratefully and excuses herself. Evie watches with worried eyes as the other girl walks towards the direction she’d been pointed to. She then disappears into the side hallway and Evie sets to prepare something for the other girl to eat. 

Usually, there would be someone else with her, taking care of the kitchen as she handled the counter, but Gil had left earlier that night, a newly acquired wound in his arm due to a cooking accident. Evie smiled as she made the diner’s trademarked waffles, thinking of the boy that she considered to be a brother. No one could cook like Gil; the dedication that he had for cooking and the knowledge he had about every little ingredient was unmatched, even if sometimes his attention lacked when it came down to safe practices and measures in the “art of cooking”, as he liked to call it. 

A few minutes go by and Evie fills a long transparent glass with a freshly made milkshake, chocolate flavored and favored. She absolutely loved Ursula’s chocolate milkshakes, and whenever she had a bad day she would crave one. Hers weren’t as good as the ones made by her best friend, Uma, or the girl’s mother - Ursula herself -, but it was pretty close. She hoped that it would have the same effect on the other girl as it had on her. 

Just as she’s finished putting the food together, she hears the sound of steps and she looks through the large window on the wall that divides the kitchen and the front of the diner and watches as the other girl sits down, her face free of the makeup and grime that it had been somewhat covered in when she’d arrived. Her hair was now tamer and thrown over one shoulder, exposing her neck and Evie winces when she notices a few scratches on her skin. Not for the first time that night does she wonder what could have possibly happened to the girl on the other side of the counter. 

She grabs the food and leaves the kitchen, setting them down on the counter and giving the girl a small smile. The girl in the gown looks at the food and then at Evie and gives her a small, sad smile. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t --” She begins to say, but Evie shakes her head. 

“I made it for you,” Evie told her softly. “It’s on me.”

“I couldn’t --”

“Please, humor me.” Evie insists, pushing the plate towards her and smiling widely when the girl exhales and nods, offering Evie a slightly bigger smile this time in thank you. She sits down and Evie’s pleased when she seems to actually enjoy the food. Evie doubts it has actually anything to do with the actual taste, but more so that girl was probably starving. She eats an entire waffle before she takes a sip of the milkshake Evie had prepared for her through the straw, and the brunette smiles when her brown eyes meet hers and she gives her a shy smile.

“Sorry, I haven’t eaten in a while.” She apologizes sheepishly, as if she needed to. Evie shakes her head immediately.

“Don’t worry. I’m glad I can help --” she trails off, only then realizing that the stranger still did not have a name. 

“Rose.” She tells her after a second. “My name, um -- my name is Rose.”

Something flashes on Rose’s eyes and Evie tries not to pay too much attention to it. She smiles. “I’m Evie.”

Rose gives her a smile and begins eating her second waffle. Evie takes a sip of her forgotten coffee and wrinkles her nose a little at the lack of heat. She refills her mug and smiles when she takes a sip and the liquid is hot again. She turns her attention back on Rose when she hears a slight chuckle.

“You drink a lot of coffee?” Rose asks her. Evie sees it for what it is: a clear sign that she’s trying to diverge the attention from herself. 

“Only during night shifts, so, yeah, I guess.” Evie chuckles, taking another sip as punctuation. Rose smiles. 

“I don’t take caffeine very well,” She tells her, “Mom -- um, my mom never really let me have much of it.” 

The sentence triggers a long suppressed memory in Evie; it’s enough for her to recognize the emotion behind Rose’s words. Evie was well familiar with controlling mothers and their demands and prohibitions to know when someone else was speaking from similar experience. 

“My mom didn’t like me having a lot of coffee either,” Evie says, “Actually, she didn’t like me having a lot of anything, really.” She shrugs and adds, “Freedom, for starters.” 

Rose exhales a chuckle and Evie knows then that she’s got it exactly right. “Yeah, I can relate.”

“I had a feeling you could,” Evie smiles. “So, tell me, is there anyone I can call for you?” 

The question seems to confuse Rose, and Evie gives her an once over, “I don’t mean to offend you, but you don’t look… well.” 

“Right,” Rose chuckles sadly. She plays with the straw of her milkshake for a moment before she continues, “Um, I don’t know.”

Evie waits, but Rose doesn’t seem to have an answer for her. She tries to think of something else to say but the other girl beats her to it, simply stating, “You’re young.”

Evie nods. Rose continues, then, “Isn’t it dangerous to work at this hour?”

“I guess,” Evie shrugs, “I’m usually not alone, though. But it’s not that bad.”

“Really?” Rose asks, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “I’ve heard -- um, nevermind.”

Evie chuckles, “Oh, don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of crime here. Most stories are true,” she shrugs, “but most people don’t want to fuck with Ursula or her diner. There are limits.” 

“Ursula?” 

“The owner of this diner. My boss,” Evie explains, pointing to a neon sign with the woman’s name written in teal colored neon. “She’s kind of my adoptive mother, too.”

“Oh, you’re adopted?” Rose asks, interested. Evie smirks.

“Unofficially,” She responds, “Ursula’s daughter is my best friend, and I’ve been living with them for a few years now.” 

“Your parents don’t mind?” Rose asks before she can help herself. She instantly blushes and backtracks, “Sorry, that was rude, you don’t have to answer to that.”

“Well, my mom was the one who made me live with Ursula and Uma by kicking me out,” Evie shrugs, her serene facial expression showing Rose that she didn’t mind answering it. “And, well, I probably will never know if my dad minds it or not. Never met the guy.”

“I’m sorry --”

“It’s alright. I mean, it’s not alright, but it is what it is, so.” Evie shrugs again. She meant it -- sure, there were days when thinking of her family situation bothered her, but it never lasted too long anymore. Ursula and Uma, and Harry and Gil, were the family that she’d found. They were more than enough -- they were there, and they loved and cared for her in ways that her parents hadn’t been able to. Sure, sometimes it hurt, but Evie is far too thankful for the people she has in her life now to dwell too much on it.

“Still,” Rose says, her fingers playing with the straw. “I’m glad you have Ursula and your friend, then. I wish -” she stops herself, gulps and clears her throat, “It can be hard.” 

“Yeah,” Evie nods, her tone soft. She knows for sure now that the girl could relate to Evie in more ways than she was ready to let on. They’re in silence for a moment and then Evie speaks up, “You’re young too.”

“I am.”

“Isn’t it dangerous to be alone at this hour?” Evie asks. Rose chuckles under her breath.

“Very,” she agrees. With her eyes down to the counter, she adds, her voice low and soft, “I’m so tired. I’ve been - um, I’ve been walking for a day, I think. I mean, I know. Since last night.”

Evie frowns. “Are you alright?”

She watches in horror as her question seems to trigger something in the girl before her, and soon enough Rose’s entire demeanor changes as tears begin to stream down her tanned face and she hurriedly tries to wipe them away, clearly embarrassed by the reaction.

“Sorry.” She whispers, sheepish, and Evie hurriedly grabs a napkin and gives it to her, her hands coming to rest on the other girl’s hand for a second before she catches herself.

“No, don’t apologize. It’s okay,” Evie tells her, “Do you want to talk about it? Is there anything that I can do?” The girl before her takes a deep breath and dabs at a tear and Evie tries to meet her eyes, “Rose?”

Rose turns to her then, her eyes red and puffy, and says, “Audrey.”

“Huh?”

“Audrey,” She repeats, “My name is Audrey. Well, Audrey Rose. But I like Audrey better.”

“Audrey,” Evie states, tries it out. She finds that she likes it better. Audrey gives her a teary smile in response and she smiles back. “Well, Audrey, do you want to talk about it? I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

Audrey is quiet for a moment, and Evie’s about to call her name again, thinking she’d gone somewhere in her mind, worried for the girl’s health. But Audrey speaks up eventually.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” She states. “I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t have a plan. I never even made one. God, I’m so stupid --” she shakes her head, her tone and expression showing frustration at herself as she runs her hands down her face and groans. Evie stays silent. It seems that Audrey’s having a conversation with herself more than with Evie, and she’s had her fair share of those moments to know that very seldom interrupting those is a good idea. “I just had to leave. Run. Get as far away as possible.”

“From what?” Evie asks. 

Audrey looks at her, as if remembering that she was there. She licks her lips, “Auradon. My family. Everyone. All of it.” She shakes her head, “I have nowhere to go. But I just had to fucking leave. I’ve had that feeling for all of yesterday, since I woke up. Maybe even longer. But it was so strong yesterday -- you know? When you open your eyes and nothing around you feels like it belongs to you? That you just… have to run?” She doesn’t wait for Evie to answer, “That was how I felt when I woke up yesterday. And I tried to make it through, I really did… I even went to prom. But I 

to leave, Evie. My graduation is happening tomorrow. But I couldn’t go. I can’t go. I need to leave Auradon behind, be far away from it as possible. Just - be myself, far...” 

“Hey, it’s okay,” Evie says, bringing her hand to rest on top of Audrey’s as she pulls the bar stool they keep for staff behind the counter closer with the other. She sits down and looks deep into the other girl’s eyes to convey that it really was alright. “You’re safe here.”

That sentence makes Audrey’s shoulders drop and she leans forward, visibly exhausted, and she sighs, a clear sign that she’s now let her guard down. Evie gives her a comforting smile. Audrey’s brown eyes study her softly for a moment and Evie finds herself doing the same. She can’t help but notice that Audrey Rose is, well, breathtakingly beautiful. Even in her state, even through all this turmoil, there’s something incredibly, aggressively intriguing in the girl’s beauty and Evie barely registers it when her mouth speaks the words her mind come up with. 

“Who are you, Audrey?”

Audrey seems surprised by the question; and, well, maybe she shouldn’t be. Everything about her appearance at the diner would’ve struck the question in anyone’s mind. 

“I’m… I don’t know, actually,” Audrey chuckles softly with a shrug, “I’m Audrey. I’m from Auradon,” she says, resting her chin on her open palm, “and I’m realizing now that if I tell you who I am you might hate me. Rightfully so.”

“Why would I hate you?” Evie asks, frowning. 

“Because…” She trails off, takes a deep breath and tries again, “I’m a Lancaster. I mean, my family’s filthy rich. I have it all. Can have it all. Or, well, at least anything money and a name can buy, I suppose. And I genuinely don’t mean to brag, because I don’t fucking care about it. I just… I just know that I have no right to complain. I have it easy. Poor rich girl and her problems,” Audrey mocks, rolling her eyes, and Evie’s frown deepens. 

“Hey, don’t say that. Everyone has problems,” Evie says, “And honestly, your problems sound pretty real and kind of a big deal if they drove you to run away and walk all the way here from Auradon. It’s not like any stupid, little problem would’ve made someone do that, rich family or not.”

Audrey bites her lip, “I guess. It’s just - it’s what he used to say. Ben, my bo- um, ex-boyfriend. Not to me,” She hurries to explain when Evie reacts, “He used to say it about himself. He’s from a rich family too. He was one of my closest friends. My best friend, really. Since we were kids. And he, um, he had these issues, you know? He’s really hard on himself because his family has too many expectations. We have that in common, we could relate a lot to each other and be there, you know? But um - sometimes he would have these moments where he would get angry at himself for feeling stressed or pressured or… whatever, really. And he used to say that he has no right in feeling that way because people have it worse. He’s lucky.” Audrey frowns and sniffles, her eyes welling up with unshed tears, “I don’t know. I agreed with him when he said it the first time. I guess it made sense.”

“Well, it doesn’t,” Evie tells her softly, “feeling things is part of the human experience. It’s silly to think just because you have a wealthy family you can’t feel negatively.” 

Audrey seems to think about her words for a moment, and Evie waits. “I guess you have a point. I mean… It makes sense because sometimes I think that negative feelings is all I am,” Audrey chuckles humorlessly, “Um, people in Auradon think I’m a total bitch. And I guess I’ve given them reason to, so I don’t blame them. I just… I get so sad sometimes. Angry, too.” She frowns, “And lately, that’s all I’ve felt. Since… um, since my grandpa’s passing,” Audrey’s voice breaks. Evie squeezes her hand once and she continues, “He, um, he was my favorite person in the world. He took care of me and protected me from… everything.” She sighs, “My grandma and my parents, they… expect a lot. And I could manage it. But then… um, but then grandpa got sick and ultimately passed… and everything kind of… fell apart.” 

“What happened?” Evie asked, her tone still soft. Audrey ran her hand through her face again and took a deep breath.

“I just began lashing out a lot more. I lost a hold of everything, Evie. My grades were at an all time low and I just barely made it through the year. Um, Ben left me during summer and immediately started dating this other girl in school and everyone kind of turned their backs on me. I used to be adored,” Audrey chuckled sadly, shaking her head at herself, “I barely managed to keep my spot as cheer captain. But the squad was kind of over me at that point. See, I just… I had everything going for me, Evie. I had the perfect boyfriend, the perfect grades, I was popular. And then it all went away, and I just realized… I just realized that it was all just smoke and mirrors. I have no real friends, not really, because when grandpa passed and Ben left me I just had no one to turn to. All my other friends seemed to like Ben more than me. And my family…” Audrey sighs again, “I have no one to protect me anymore. And, um, this is going to sound stupid, but… last night, seeing Ben and Mal being coronated as prom king and queen when it was supposed to be me and Ben…” 

Audrey shakes her head at herself and laughs. Evie doesn’t like the way it sounds: it’s mocking, and bitter, and sad. It’s not a pleasant sound. It’s heavy and haunting and it makes Evie frown. She squeezes Audrey’s hand again and the girl continues, “I just… I just remember thinking that I would have to come home and they would ask me where my crown was and I’d have to tell them that someone else got it and it was just too much. I couldn’t. They… they weren’t happy when Ben and I broke up. My grandma… she said I wouldn’t amount to much of anything if I wasn’t able to keep my boyfriend and eventually join his family. And my mom…” Audrey clears her throat, “Let’s just say I’m not exactly the golden child she wanted. I think she wanted a boy.”

Evie gives her a sad smile, being able to relate to the sentiment, and Audrey seems to catch herself. She clears her throat again and shakes her head, “Sorry for the monologue. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.”

“Please, don’t apologize,” Evie responds immediately, “You just have a lot going on inside your head.”

“I really do,” Audrey agrees almost immediately, and then she forces a smile, “But enough about me. Tell me more about yourself,” When Evie makes a face, she adds, “I’m a good listener.”

Evie doesn’t like it that Audrey seems to be trying to push her emotions down again, but if a momentary distraction is something the other girl needs after all that she’s told her, Evie can’t really deny her that. So she thinks of what she could tell her that was interesting enough.

“I’m eighteen,” Evie begins, “I just got my GED. Um, I live with my best friend and her mom. I met Uma when I was a kid, and Harry and Gil, when we were pre-teens. They’re like my family. I lived here my whole life and I wanna leave really bad, too, but I’m broke and I have nowhere else to go,” Evie chuckles, “so sometimes we take road trips together. It’s the way we found to get away, even if for a little while.”

“You got a car?” Audrey asks, curious. “My mom never let me drive.”

“My mother didn’t like it when I drove either. My uncle, her brother, is a mechanic a few towns away from here. He’s taught me everything I know about cars, and when she kicked me out he wanted me to go up there and live with him and his family, but I didn’t wanna impose,” Evie tells her. This is far more information than she’s ever given someone that wasn’t part of her little family, let alone someone she’d just met, but she feels an itching need to share as much as she could with Audrey - maybe to try and make the girl feel less alone, or maybe just because it felt good to tell someone who'd she never met before her story. Cathartic, almost. 

“He’s got a family. He’d just recently married, and at the time, his wife was expecting Dizzy, my little angel. It didn’t feel right for me to move in with them, you know? Plus, I had my best friends and my job here and Ursula told me to stay with her and Uma, so I did. And then my uncle told me to have this old pickup chevy of his. He even painted it blue, my favorite color. He made it all new for me, and told me I had to take it since I wasn’t gonna stay with him. Sort of a compromise, he called it,” Evie chuckles, “so I could come up and see him whenever I wanted.”

“He sounds really sweet.” Audrey smiles and Evie nods. 

“He’s the best. And I love my chevy. I don’t let anyone else drive it.”

And it’s true. Harry is always asking her to drive it, but his begging is always met with a strong, hard denial. Not only is Evie extremely possessive and jealous of her car, but the boy is also extremely reckless in his driving - as he is with about everything else. Evie could consider letting Uma drive it, if persuaded enough, but never Harry. And as for Gil, well, the boy never asked. He always liked the bed of the truck the most. 

“Do you, um, do you talk to your mom still?” Audrey asks cautiously. Evie can see that she means no harm by the question, her face expressing only interest and curiosity, and Evie doesn’t mind it. 

“I don’t, no,” She shakes her head, “I see her around, though, sometimes. But she doesn’t really talk to me, and I don’t really want her to. I’m not interested in having any sort of relationship with her,” Evie shrugs, “she’s not either, so it works out. She’s not very fond of… what I am.”

“What are you?” Audrey asks curiously, before she can stop herself. She flushes when she catches herself again and Evie chuckles. “Sorry --”

“No need to apologize,” Evie smiles. She sighs, “Well, I’m many things that my mom doesn’t care for, I suppose, but I’d say confidently that the thing she hates the most about me is the fact that I’m a lesbian.”

And then, the way Audrey reacts to that little word makes it all click for Evie. Suddenly, she thinks she understands. 

Audrey’s eyes widen, and her complexion pales and then turns red all over again, the hand she has under Evie’s own flexes and closes into a fist. Evie notices how the girl seems to be struggling to breathe. 

Evie frowns, worried as she watches Audrey’s eyes get out of focus again and begins to fear that all the progress they’ve made since the other girl had walked in was being thrown out the window. 

“Audrey?” She calls softly, “Are you okay? Audrey?!”

Audrey’s eyes snap to Evie at the sound of her name, and she shakes her head and pulls her hand from under Evie’s to bring it to her face. She hides her face from view with her hands and shakes her head a few times, trying to gather her thoughts, Evie assumes. 

As Evie waits in silence, the somewhat upbeat sound of an old U2 track playing from the radio transits to a haunting melody and Chris Isaak’s voice begins to sing about a lost love. Evie’s eyes travel to the front of the diner and she thinks to lock the doors; just to be safe. The clock above the front glass doors tells her it’s nearing 2AM. She stands from the stool and walks around the counter and towards the door, giving Audrey some time to get herself together. She fishes the keys from the pocket of her apron and locks it, her brown eyes doing a careful sweep of the road in front of the diner and not seeing any sign of, well, anything. 

“I’m sorry,” She hears from behind her, and she turns around to look at the back of Audrey’s head. The girl’s staring straight ahead, and Evie waits, “I didn’t mean to… to offend you.”

“You didn’t,” Evie assures her as she goes back behind the counter and sits back down. This time, Audrey’s eyes meet hers carefully. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just…” Audrey exhales, her hands close in fists and then re-open. “I’m… um. I…”

“It’s okay, Audrey. You’re safe.” Evie reminds her. Audrey nods and takes a deep breath.

“I had this friend. Lonnie,” Audrey begins, her voice softer than ever. Evie’s heart hurts for her, already knowing what was about to come, “She was… beautiful and really sweet. Still is. I used to… um, I used to really like her. I was kind of obsessed, really,” Audrey chuckles, and it sounds self-deprecating, “I forgot my diary at the coffee table one day. My grandma found it.” Audrey pauses and closes her eyes. Evie brings her hand to rest on top of hers and Audrey takes another deep breath before she continues, “She read things she wasn’t supposed to know. That she didn’t want to know. Not about me. She um… she yelled at me about it. Said it was unnatural, unholy. She um, she said that Ben would be disgusted if he knew,” Audrey chokes out, sniffling. “My grandpa heard it and stepped in. He told her to leave me alone. He, um… he knew. Before I even knew it myself,” Audrey wipes away some tears and continues, “I told my mother about my grandma. I thought - I thought she would understand. That she would comfort me. But um, she - she told me I had to learn to repress it. That if I ignored it, those feelings would just go away. That they weren’t normal, that they weren’t… real, I guess.” 

Audrey stops, taking a breath, and Evie squeezes her hand. She’s not surprised to feel her own eyes burning with unshed tears. “She never let me have sleepovers or go out with my friends that were girls alone. My grandma and her… they acted like it was a dirty thing. A dirty word,” Audrey frowns, “and it didn’t occur to me that… that I started thinking that it was, too. My grandpa was the only one who made it feel like it wasn’t. Like I wasn’t.”

“Did Ben -” Evie begins asking softly, and Audrey shakes her head, already knowing what she was going to ask.

“No, we never even talked about it. I just - I let my grandma’s words get to me, and whenever I looked at Ben I would hear her words and I would feel like complete garbage.”

“You know that’s not true, right?” Evie asks her, more sympathetic than Audrey could understand. 

Audrey shrugs. 

“Sometimes.”

“I know the feeling,” Evie tells her kindly, “It took me a while to be comfortable in my own skin. It can be difficult.”

“Yeah,” Audrey chuckles, “Yeah, it can.”

“Is that why you ran away?” Evie asks her softly. 

“Partly. They… like I said, they expect a lot,” Audrey shrugs, “Um, my grandpa left me practically everything. They weren’t happy about that. Still aren’t. But they have everything figured out. Not one day of my life isn’t planned. So…”

“They can get to keep your things.” Evie completes. Audrey nods, “That’s despicable.”

“They want me to go to Law school to take over the business, but I don’t want to,” Audrey continues, her eyes welling up with tears all over again, “I really, really don’t want to. And I don’t even have anything else to go to school for so I can’t even argue. Not that they would hear it, anyway. But still. I genuinely don’t have anything I’m truly passionate about because I barely know myself. I’ve never had the opportunity to.”

Evie squeezes her hand and gives her a sad smile. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Audrey shrugs. “I’m sorry, though, because we were talking about you and your awful mother and I made it all about me again.”

Evie chuckles and shakes her head, “It’s fine. You need to let it all out, and I’m glad I can be here for you.”

“Still, though. Tell me more about you,” Audrey sniffles, getting herself together. Evie thinks it’s incredible how fast she can do that, and then she realizes that there are moments when she feels like Audrey’s almost the exact representation of her a few years ago. “You said you have your GED?”

Evie nods, “Yeah. Um, after it all went down, I decided to get my diploma earlier and just work to hopefully make enough money to get out of here and um, hopefully follow my passion.”

Audrey’s eyebrows rise in interest, “What’s your passion?”

“I… well, I love fashion,” Evie tells her, suddenly shy. Audrey smiles, “I want to study it. I dream of designing my own clothes one day.” She shrugs, as if it’s no big deal.

“Evie! That’s awesome!” Audrey exclaims, looking genuinely excited by Evie’s dreams. Evie smiles, and Audrey sighs wistfully, “God, I wish I had something like that. Something that drives me.”

Evie thinks about it for a moment before she smiles, “You do, though.”

“Huh?” Audrey frowns.

“You have something that drives you,” Evie explains, “You told me so. You just didn’t realize it.”

“I did?”

Evie nods.

“What did I say?”

“You said that you wanted - no, needed to leave. To get away from Auradon and everything in it and be yourself. Remember?” When Audrey stares at her, Evie shrugs, “That, to me, sounds like a dream. A passion. Something that drove you to leave everything behind on foot and in a floor length gown and end up here, of all places.” 

“I didn’t think of it that way.” Audrey admits, her tone sheepish. Evie chuckles, endeared by the girl before her. 

“You have a lot in your mind,” Evie reminds her, not for the first time that night - or, well, early morning. Audrey gives her a smile.

“My mind is beginning to clear up now,” Audrey says softly. 

“It’s the exhaustion catching up to you,” Evie teases, giving her a wink, and Audrey chuckles openly this time. Evie smiles, noticing that this time, she likes the sound of it. It sounds lighter.

“I actually feel… wide awake.” Audrey tells her, her brown eyes shining with an emotion that Evie hasn’t seen before in the girl’s eyes. 

“Good,” Evie says with a smile. Then, she continues, “Well, why don’t we drop the heavy subjects and just talk about something light for a change?”

“Like what?” Audrey asks her. 

“Like…” Evie trails off, her eyes running across the diner for a moment as she tries to think of something. Audrey waits, and then Evie lights up, “Like, what’s your favorite color?”

Audrey smiles and tells her, “Pink. Yours?” 

“Blue.” Evie responds just as promptly. “Favorite season?”

“Spring,” Audrey responds. “You?”

“Fall.”

“What’s your favorite animal?”

“I like cats.” Evie responds. 

“Of course you do,” Audrey says before she can help herself, and Evie gasps as Audrey covers her mouth.

“Was that a joke I just heard?” Evie asked, amused, and Audrey shakes her head, “I think it was.”

“I think you’re hearing things.”

“I don’t think so. I think you just made a joke about me being gay.” Evie insisted, shaking her head.

“It’s not like I was lying.”

“Well, it takes one.” Evie sasses back, and she stops herself just as the words leave her mouth. Her lips form a thin line as she looks at Audrey apologetically, not sure if she’s just struck a nerve, and Audrey takes a few seconds to process what Evie had just said. When she does, Evie’s relieved when the other girl gives her a small smile.

“Touché.” Is all she says, and Evie feels something of warmth inside. 

They’re silent for a moment and Evie’s ear catches the tune of one of her favorite 80s track. She hums softly to it and barely registers Audrey’s eyes studying her as her mind wanders off. 

They’ve been quiet in a peaceful moment of silence for quite a few minutes until Audrey speaks up again, and her question catches Evie by surprise.

“Do you have a girlfriend?”

Audrey’s eyes are curious and expectant, and Evie thinks there’s something about Audrey’s tone and the way she’s studying her and waiting for her response that implies something else that Evie can’t quite figure out.

“Uh, no, I don’t.” Evie responds. 

“Why not?” Audrey asks, and her tone now implies disbelief. Evie thinks it’s amusing.

“Why I don’t have a girlfriend?” Evie asks her, an amused smile on her face at the question. Audrey nods. “I don’t know. I just don’t...”

“...Want to?” Audrey finishes tentatively.

“I mean, no,” Evie shrugs, “I don’t know. Maybe. I just mean I don’t… have someone. To date… right now.” She finishes awkwardly. 

“Have you ever?” When Evie tilts her head, confused, she clarifies, “Have you ever had a girlfriend?”

“No,” Evie shakes her head. Then, she licks her lips, “I mean, I’ve… been… with people. Girls. But not… serious.”

“Right.” Audrey nods, understanding. 

“Have you?” Evie asks. “With a girl, I mean.”

“Oh, no. Never,” Audrey frowns, “Is that… required?”

Evie blinks. She’s not exactly sure what she’s being asked. When Audrey doesn’t clarify, she raises an eyebrow.

“To be a lesbian?”

Audrey nods sheepishly. Evie knows that the girl might just be starting to get used to that word being said out loud. 

“I mean, no,” Evie frowns, “I’ve always… felt like I was. So, I just. Was. Am. Even before.” 

“Oh.” 

“Do you?” Evie asks her softly, trying not to push her too far. Audrey bites her lip, her brown eyes staring deep into Evie’s, and when she’s been quiet for far too long, Evie adds, “You don’t have to say yes or no. It’s okay to take your time. It’s complet-”

“I do.” Audrey interrupts her, hushing the words out. Her voice is low and shy, and Evie thinks that this is the most vulnerable Audrey’s looked all night. She recognizes this moment for what it is: Audrey’s first time acknowledging her feelings in front of someone else. So she responds it the way she knows that the other girl needs it.

She beams. “Okay. Then there you have it.”

Audrey’s eyes fall on Evie’s smile, as if trying to recognize the expression, as if relieved, and Evie thinks that Audrey’s actually pretty fucking adorable. She hadn’t realized before. She does now.

“Thank you.” Audrey tells her after a while.

“No worries,” Evie shrugs, an easy smile on her face. 

Audrey smiles back, looking lighter and better than she had all night, and Evie decides that she wants to know what Audrey’s favorite song is. 

They fall into a lighthearted conversation, getting to know each other, playing twenty one (plus another twenty, and then a few more) questions as the radio plays softly and the time goes by, the sky outside turning lighter and lighter as each question is asked and each answer is given. 

Evie realizes that Audrey has a pretty smile, and that she’d thought of that since the girl had smiled for the first time. She realizes, also, that she liked hearing Audrey talk about her favorite movie -- that is one of Evie’s favorites, too, but she had pretended she’d never seen it because she wanted Audrey to talk more about the hidden meanings in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and how she’d always been fascinated by Holly Golightly, and how she was now understanding why that was (and no, it wasn’t just because Audrey Hepburn was beautiful).

Evie realizes that she maybe, sort of, kinda, probably likes Audrey. In a way that she’s not really sure she was supposed to. In a way she’s not really familiar with. In a way that kind of makes her feel a little panicked when she thinks that she might not see Audrey again. 

Audrey’s still talking, and Evie’s almost panicked mind gets an idea that sounds way too good for her to keep it to herself. 

“Do you wanna go on a roadtrip with me?” Evie asks her, interrupting Audrey mid-sentence. 

Audrey closes her mouth and then opens it again, completely taken back by the question. “...What?”

“Do you want to come with me on a roadtrip?” Evie repeats. “Just us. Today. Do you?”

“Evie…” Audrey chuckles, “Are you… are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s… you know that’s crazy, right?” Audrey asks softly. She doesn’t look repulsed by the idea, so Evie doesn’t take offense.

“Completely fucking insane, yeah.” 

Audrey chuckles. “We just met.”

“I know, it’s very sudden,” Evie nods, “Do you want to, though?”

“I…” Audrey trails off, her eyes wide and surprised. Evie waits, expectant, her heart hammering against her chest. “I think I’m losing my mind.”

“Yeah? I lost mine a while ago. You get used to it,” Evie shrugs. Her eyes are still expectant. Audrey laughs.

“Where are you going to go?” She asks, making time. Evie shrugs again.

“I don’t know. Somewhere. I got a car...” 

“...and I got a fuckton of money,” Audrey says, her tone pensive. It makes Evie laugh, “I could… I mean, we… we could use it. To start from zero. To make something of this.”

“This?”

“Us. Everything. Ourselves,” Audrey responds. Her eyes are more focused than Evie’s seen them look. She looks soft. She sounds passionate.

Evie smiles, thinking that Audrey looks even more beautiful with the golden rays of the early morning sunlight on her skin. Looks even more beautiful when she’s dreaming while wide awake. 

“My shift ends in a few minutes.” Evie states, her smile evident in her tone. Audrey understands what she’s saying. 

“Do you think you can drive me to Auradon?” When Evie begins to frown, Audrey continues, “I have a few things I need to grab. A small note to leave.” 

Instead of answering, Evie stands from the stool and starts her end-of-shift ritual. She turns the coffee machine off, washes the dishes and puts them away, turns the lights off, removes her apron and hangs it on the wall beside the door, giving it a fond look before she turns away. Audrey excuses herself to go to the bathroom with a small, giddy smile and Evie takes the moment to text Harry and tell him to hurry for his morning shift. The boy texts her back promptly that he’s on his way. 

She then texts Uma and asks her to pack her a road trip bag and that’ll she explain it all later. And just to be safe and just because she knows Uma, she texts Ursula and asks her the same. The older woman texts her back right away, ever the early riser, and tells her that she better come by and give her a hug and have a good meal before she leaves for another one of her trips. Evie smiles and tells her that she wouldn’t dream of not doing so.

Evie looks up when Audrey reappears and she can’t help but smile when the other girl stops on the same spot that she had stood just a few hours ago, when she had come into the diner looking for shelter and all but stormed into Evie’s life. Evie can’t quite believe that it’s barely been one night. 

Audrey’s smiling at her like she can’t believe it, either. 

Evie circles the counter and walks towards Audrey, her hand reaching out for the other girl’s, not for the first time in those few hours, but this time, Audrey interlaces their fingers together. With her free hand, Evie tucks a lock of brown hair behind the other girl’s ear. Audrey takes a deep breath, exhales and pulls Evie closer to her. 

“It’s okay. Right?” Audrey asks softly. Nervously. “I’m okay?”

Evie nods. 

“I’m okay.” Audrey repeats. States. To Evie. To herself. A reminder.

“Audrey.” Evie calls. 

Light brown eyes meet dark ones. 

“Yeah?” 

They lean closer. Evie’s nose brushes against Audrey’s. 

“I’m going to kiss you. Okay?”

Audrey nods. Her nose brushes against Evie’s. She’s about to say yes, okay, but Evie doesn’t give her enough time. Full lips crash against her own, and suddenly Audrey is melting and Evie is pulling her closer, closer, closer. Audrey’s hands move up, travel up Evie’s denim jacket, find her wavy hair, and she runs her fingers through it, memorizes it. Evie sighs against Audrey’s lips and pulls the girl closer to her. Audrey is intoxicating. From the very first moment Evie’s set her eyes on her, she’d felt it. The pull, the connection. 

When they break the kiss, Evie deposits a kiss to the corner of Audrey’s mouth before she pulls away. 

“Okay?” Evie asks her. The question is loaded. Audrey grins. 

“Extremely.” 

“Good,” Evie laughs. Audrey joins her. “You sure?”

“More than I’ve ever been.” 

“Good,” Evie repeats. Her hand finds Audrey’s again, and they leave the diner. 

They walk towards Evie’s chevy truck and Evie opens the door for the other girl. 

“Your carriage, my little raggedy princess,” She teases with a fake curtsy, and Audrey giggles. She grabs the skirt of her gown so she can hop in and Evie helps her manage it. She closes the door after Audrey’s all settled and Evie smiles at her through the window. 

Then, she makes her way towards the driver’s seat door and hops in, closing the door and getting the seatbelt on. She inserts her keys, and before she starts the car, she turns to look at Audrey to find the girl already looking at her.

“Still okay?” 

Audrey smiles softly. Nods.

“Sure?”

“More than I’ve ever been.” She repeats. Reassures.

That’s all Evie needed to hear. 

She doesn’t know what’s to come of this - them, herself, everything. She doesn’t care. She’s okay. Audrey’s okay. They’re okay. In that moment, none of it matters. It doesn’t matter that they don’t have a plan. It doesn’t matter that they’d practically just met. All that matters is that right now, in this moment, it all feels right. Okay. Like it’s supposed to be. Like it belongs. 

Evie takes a deep breath - and it feels like the first one. 

She starts the car.

**Author's Note:**

> comments make me happy! come find me at @eviegrimhildes on tumblr :) have a great week, and be nice to yourselves! until the next one.


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